As aforementioned, the 2002 National Electric Code Article 110.3 requires: examination, identification, installation and use of equipment, to be tested for its particuilar installation requirements such as mechanical strength, durability, beating effects, arching effects and other factors for practical safeguarding of persons using or likely to come in contact with such equipment.
In order to meet these requirements, equipment manufactured for the electrical industry must be lested and labeled by a recognized testing laboratory. Without this product listing and labeling, products would be deemed unacceptable. UL(Underwriters Laboratory) has long been recognized world wide as a leader in testing products in accordance with ANSI/UL. Standards applied to the “Improved Kenny Clamp” are UL486A, that is, pertaining to wire connerctors and soldering lugs for use with Copper Conductors and UL 467 that relates to grounding and bonding equipment.
One such test is the mechanical strength test which requires a tightening force of 150 pound inches applied to each product sample, for example the Improved Kenny Clamp.
Another test used is the short-time test wherein electrical currents are applied to a product such as the grounding electrode conductor. The test current is determined by the largest AWG wire the product is labeled for. A 3/0 conductor wire requires 8030 amperes applied for 9 seconds. Under this test the wire fitting shall not crack, break or melt.
A third test is protection against corrosion. Unless the metal used for the Improved Kenny Clamp as well as the grounding electrode conductor is inherently corrosion resistant, such as a non-ferrous metal like copper or aluminum, the grounding product must be protected by a zinc or cadmium coating at least 0.001 inch (0,025 mm) thick.
Typically the grounding electrode conductor is fastened to a water pipe and extends through an opening in a service box or enclosure where it is fastened to a bus bar by means of a screw.
Exemplary of prior art ground connectors are as follows:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,704,357 shows a jack comprising an insulated mounting sheath cylindrical in shape Within the sheath is a contact made of a conducting material such as steel. which may be coated with silver. The contact is made of two resilient, tapered bifurcated portions. Rearwardly thereof is a reduced portion followed by an anchoring and sealing means inserted into the sheath and a terminal contact to which is soldered a contact wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,381 pertains to a device for bonding an electric ground wire to an electric outlet or switch box. This apparatus employs a grounding coupling or wedge wherein the electric wire connected to the box is placed in a groove and a stud screwed down upon it. A pin having contact with the ground wire also makes contact with the electric outlet box.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,128 teaches a coupling nut provided with a terminal connector for use in grounding equipment (not specified). The problem that was solved was to make coupling nuts such as 23 accessible. Heretofore the coupling nut was attached in such a way that after it was in place within a service box as 22, terminal connectors such as 21 were inaccessible. or very difficult to access. In the invention the the coupling nut is cylindrical, has internal threads for threading to a conduit that projects into the service box. The terminal is mounted outside the fitting and has an opening tbrugh which a ground wire can be inserted from equipment within the box into a through passageway 17 and then fixing the wire with a set screw to obtain good electrical connection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,145,566 illustrates a housing for electrical devices that is formed with an axial bore that tapers toward an inlet opening. Within the housing are pressure members which comprise frustoconical elements which are deflected radially when sliding up on the inner oblique surface of the housing to clamp the cable therebetween. The pressure member is shifted axially by threaded tightening of the cable bushing.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,151,363 depicts a method and apparatus for joining electrical conductors to junction boxes. In operation a ring nut is passed over a threaded stem made of four flared, threaded projections. An insulated conductor is then passed through the opening defined by the four projections that pass through the service box. The ring nut is then advanced drawing the projections inwardly and clamping the projection surfaces agains an insulation cover that extends over the insulated conductors. The stem is then held in place by tightening down on the nut within the service box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,209,661 is another example of a clamping device for securing an electrical conductor in a service box. The conductors are of the type carrying an insulating jacket. The clamp is an elongated wedge having at one end a bifurcation which defines a plurality of codirectionally, extending parallel legs at one end. The legs have a plurality of teeth which continue all the way to the free ends of the two legs. The teeth engage both the box and the conductor bybiting or mechanically engaging both box and conductor.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,791 depicts a spring biased connector for electrically bonding a device to a supporting wall. A flanged bushing is threaded into a push button housing mounted on a metal wall. A serrated spring is located between the flange of the bushing and the metal wall so that when the threaded fastener engages the bushing the spring is deflected into the wall and completes an electric circuit. This type of connection obviates the use of a ground connection wire.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,594,202 shows a split sleeve system that provides a casing for wires and cables passing through a wall. or floor. The sleeve system can be used regardless of whether the wiring has already been installed. A pair of mating sleeves are inserted around the cables through the wall or floor, and slotted flanges are placed adjacent the outside of the wall for tightly retaining the sleeves in place. Both flanges and sleeves have mating threads.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,434 is drawn to the original Kenny Clamp patent. This clamp differs from most of the other aforesaid patents in that both the clamp and the conductor are in electrical contact. In most of the other patents, the clamp engages an insulated conductor. The exceptions are U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,381, wherein an uninsulated section of wire makes contact with the electric outlet box, U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,128 wherein a ground wire is inserted from the equipment in the service box through a passageway in the block of the terminal connector and then fastened with a set screw, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,791 that uses a spring biased connector for electrically bonding a device to a supporting wall. However, the clamping means in these patents are structurally different from the clamping means of the Kenny Clamps of either the patent or this application, and there is no indication that the connections are in conformance with the 2002 National Electric Code, which stipulates that a grounding electrode conductor entering a panel board, must be bonded to a metallic surface and must be connected to a grounding electrode, for example a metal water pipe or a metal rod driven in to the earth. U.S. Pat. No. 2,710,381 bonds an electric wire to a metallic box but shows no connection to a grounding electrode. U.S. Pat. No. 3,009,128 uses a ground wire inserted from the equipment in the service box through a passageway in the block of the terminal connector, but no grounding electrode. In U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,791 the spring jumper might be likened to a grounding electrode conductor and the conductive wall might be a grounding electrode; however, an additional element such as the push button that is also considered to be a grounding conductor. In any event the conductive wall would not satisfy the code as a grounding electrode. As defined in the Code, (Article 100, pg 70-29), “Grounding Conductor is a conductor used to connect equipment or the grounded circuit of a wiring system to a grounding electrode or electrodes, that is the push button mentioned above is the grounding conductor. The “Grounding Electrode Conductor” is the conductor used to connect the grounding electrode to the equipment grounding conductor, to the grounded conductor or to both as in U.S. Pat. No. 5,912,434, its ReIssue or the present application. The grounding electrode conductor as defined herein provides a low impedance path for service equipment and conductors during fault conditons, short circuits or ground faults; moreover, the grounding electrode conductors as in U.S. Pat. No. 4,496,791 use sizes that do not encompass such a range as #8 through #3/0 wire and are not designed to be independent of the carrying current.
With regard to the other patents, while there is some similarities with regard to the clamping means, the clamping means itself is not in electrical contact with the conducting element.
Under normal conditions electricity seeks to return to its source and complete a continuous circuit. This return path is often provided by white neutral wires that return current to the main service panel. A grounding electrode conductor provides an additional return path for its electrical current. The grounding electrode conductor is a safety feature. As stated above, it is designed to conduct electricity to its source if current seeks to return to the service panel along a path other than the neutral wire.
Even if the ground wires of the pertinent patents cited above, namely, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,704,357, 3,009,128, 4,496,791 were to be considered grounding electrode conductors they would not satisfy the Code or dimensioned to meet grounding electrode conductor sizes shown in Table 250-66, pg. 107, 2002 of the National Electric Code. The fact is that none of the grounding wires or connectors is designed or rated to handle an excessive amount of fault current, for example in excess of 10,000 amperes in domestic households, for an extended period of time. This point is significant for the reason,that if there should be a failure in the circuit, and an excessive amount of current is dumped onto the ground wire, such wire would not be able to control the situation.
Accordingly it is an object of this invention to use a grounding electrode conductor to be connected to a panel board that conforms to the 2002 National Electrical Code.
It is another object of this invention to use a grounding electrode conductor that is sized, rated and designed to complete the circuit for operation of the fuse, circuit breaker or other current carrying devices under contrary conditions.
It is also an object of this invention to facilitate the securement of the grounding electrode conductor to the panel board by use of a simple clamp.
It is still an object of this invention to facilitate the securement or adequate strain relief of the grounding electrode conductor by a simple two piece clamp that is simpler and more economical to manufacture than the present Kenny Clamp.